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Antoine Griezmann’s quickfire double was enough to see France progress to the quarter-finals of...

Antoine Griezmann’s quickfire double was enough to see
France progress to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 with a 2-1 victory over the
Republic of Ireland.

Griezmann’s second-half brace, which came inside three
crucial minutes, helped his side avoid an almighty scare as they eventually
showed their class at the Stade de Lyon.

However, for almost an hour, Ireland, who ended the game
down to 10 men after central defender Shane Duffy was dismissed for a
professional foul on the Atletico Madrid star, had threatened to gatecrash the
party.

They took a second-minute lead through Robbie Brady’s
nerveless penalty after Paul Pogba’s rash challenge on Shane Long, and France
were booed off by a section of their own support at the break as they failed to
rectify the damage.

But, as Martin O’Neill’s men tired – they last played
against Italy on Wednesday night, some three days after the French completed
their group-stage matches – the hosts grew in strength and eventually ran out
more comfortable winners than the scoreline suggests.

The game was barely a minute old when Pogba barged Long to
the ground inside the France penalty area, and Mr Rizzoli stunned the home
crowd by pointing to the spot.

But the French breakthrough was coming and, when it arrived,
it did so in devastating style as the Republic’s dreams were torn apart inside
eight catastrophic minutes.

Payet picked out full-back Bacary Sagna on the right and his
cross was inch-perfect for Griezmann to rise and head firmly past Randolph, to
the immense relief of his countrymen.

However, his afternoon had only just started in earnest and
just three minutes more had elapsed when he ran on to Olivier Giroud’s expert
knock-down and beat the keeper with an assured left-footed finish.

Griezmann was not finished as his 66th-minute run in behind
the Irish defence prompted an ill-advised tackle by Duffy which earned him a
red card and his increasingly beleaguered side any chance of a fightback.

Wednesday night’s exertions took their toll on the 10 men as
France attacked in waves throughout the closing stages, but the Republic did
not suffer any further punishment as they battled all the way to the whistle.